VISAKHAPATNAM: Verification of data seized from Bluefrog Mobile Technologies at Siripuram is being done by the CID with the help of IT and cybercrime personnel to ascertain the alleged hacking of State government’s sand supply website.
CID DSP I Chittibabu told TNIE that following a complaint lodged in Guntur about the problems in accessing ap.sand.gov.in portal, the CID took up investigation into the alleged hacking of the website. The CID and cybercrime sleuths searched the Bluefrog premises and seized hard discs and also other data. He said two mobile phones used by the Bluefrog were also seized during the searches and they were sent for further analysis.
Meanwhile, according to a statement released on Friday by cybercrime police station at Mangalagiri, the team of CID officials along with IT core team and cybercrime staff verified certain data and documents in connection with the Mana Sand application during a raid on Bluefrog company. It revealed that the Bluefrog is a software applications developing company set up in 2008 and Kalidindi Phani Kumar Raju is its managing director. Jaya Aditya Reddy and D Nagaraju are the directors. About 100 employees are working in the company.
The management stated that they don’t have any branch offices anywhere in India, except the head office in Visakhapatnam. So far they have developed nearly 70 applications in different modules in support to the maintenance of the government schemes.
In 2016, they have developed Sand Monitoring Application in the name of ‘Mana Sand’ as a pilot project, and the same was dropped at the initial stage due to certain technical problems and poor response from the public. The reason behind dropping the project will be verified during the course of investigation, the release said.
In 2017, they got manpower supply contract from Mines Department of AP and the firm deployed 80 employees for monitoring the vehicle movements at various sand reaches in AP.
Presently, Bluefrog Technologies is providing client services to department of agriculture, and the department of rural development. The management stated that they have developed eight different modules under Electronic Muster and Measurement System in support to the Rural Development Department to monitoring MGNREGS, and they got this contract in 2009 and continued the same till date. Similarly, they developed nine modules to monitor natural farming at the villages under ICRB programme of agricultural department, and the contract is continuing from 2011.
During investigation, it will be verified whether the above contract is in force or not. The management, however, stated that presently Bluefrog Technologies is not involved or developed any sand related applications, the release said.
Blue Frog Technologies was earlier called for the enquiry by the Telangana State police in connection with data theft case.
During searches on Bluefrog, data related to various programme applications done by the company were seized. The CID also verified the data in systems in Bluefrog. Certain mails are found related to the sand transactions.